Florence Goodwill store 'a God send'

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Brian Todd has lived in Florence for 11 years. He was working in construction last year until the economy took a turn for the worst.

"For me going 8 months without a job, kind of blew me back a little bit. I was becoming a very desperate person," said Todd.

Todd said he had worked every job he possibly could but, full time positions were hard to come by. He said now that he has secured employment with Goodwill, things are looking better.

"This came along and it was a full time job, benefits and it's a God send," said Todd.

In the last two weeks Todd has acquired several skills that he can to add to his resume.

Goodwill spokesperson Rufina Saiz said its mission is to provide people with barriers to employment with vocational opportunities.

"It's a great for the community because now you have individuals who can pay taxes, and make purchases, and be part of the business community. And help get out of this economic slump we are in," said Saiz.

Saiz said opening a new store in Florence was a community effort.

"We take those donations what some people see as leftovers, junk yard sale type of items and we take that and we turn it around and you can see the result," said Saiz. The store is located at 1665 Hwy. 101 in Florence.